Will we soon pay for coffee and brioche with a card? It is strange to think of taking cash out of the hands of Italians, however, soon even in Italy a scenario customary in the United States may become a reality, that is, making micro payments by card.
What about ATM and credit cards? These means are "slow" for the payment of products and services purchased "on the fly" (e.g., coffee, newspaper, etc.) because they require the introduction of a PIN or waiting for a receipt to be printed in order to affix a signature, so the most important companies of international credit card circuits have created contactless cards.
But what would be the advantages for users?
- Speed of payment for amounts up to 24 euros (since no PIN or signature are required, just bring the card close to the terminal to make the transaction).
- The security that in case of theft the maximum amount lost would be very low (the cards are enabled for maximum payments of 25 euros)
What's next. We are at the beginning and therefore the offer of these cards is still scarce, as "obscure" remain the reload costs charged to the user. The merchant, on the other hand, should be charged lower fees than the payments he or she receives with an ATM or credit card, but will our bartenders/merchants "bend" to this new contactless card?
We will see in time, for now we remain romantically hooked on the hastily consumed coffee and the 1 euro coin left in plain sight on the counter while escaping to the office...
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